Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The 67th edition of the National Film Awards which was earlier scheduled to be held in May 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, was finally announced the winner by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting on Monday.
According to the official report, Kangana Ranaut was declared Best Actress for her performances in the Hindi films Manikarnika and Panga whereas Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush won the best actor award for their role in Bhonsle and Asuran respectively. Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan won the Best Direction award for Bahattar Hoorain, and the Best Feature Film award went to Priyadarshan’s lavish Malayalam historical drama, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham.
But even Odisha also bagged three awards at the 67th National Fim Award where Sabyasachi Mohapatra for ‘Sala Budhar Badla’ and Nila madhab Panda for ‘Kalira Atita’ was simultaneously selected for the National Award for Best Odia film.
Sabyasachi Mohapatra’s ‘Sala Budhar Badla’ was released in 2019 where it showcased the culture of Western Odisha. Nila madhab Panda’s ‘Kalira Atita’ showed the critical issue of climate change and revolves around a man – essayed by Pitobas – from Satabhaya village of Kendrapara that has been swallowed by the rising sea.
Puri-based filmmaker Ashutosh Pattnaik’s ‘Srikshetra Ru Sahijata’ won the National Award in the Best Arts and Culture Film category. The movie is a documentary of a centuries-old open-air theatre of Puri where artists of different Sahis (lanes) represent the episodes of Ramayan.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated all the three awardees and quoted- “It is a matter of pride that Sabyasachi Mohapatra, Nilamadhab Panda, and Ashutosh Pattnaik have won the National Film Awards for Odisha.”
Image Source – Google
